Loom



Feb. E3), 31923 L.. STROHACKER LOOM Filed May l5 1922 2 sheets-sheet l Feb. 13, w23.

L. STROHACKER LOOM , 1922 2 sheets-sheet 2 Filed May lr Patented lFeb. 13, 1923.

ratsamy carica.

LOUIS STROHACKER, OF FREEPORT, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO STRUCTO MANUFAC- TUBING COMPANY, OF FREEPORT, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

LOOM.

Application filed May 15,

principal object is to provide improved harness actuating means, whereby the Work ot manipulating the harness may be greatly simplified. Another object is to provide individual heddle frame operating means,

leach cooperating with the other in such manner, that when any heddle frame, or any combination of heddle frames, is raised, any other raised heddle frame, or any combination of raised lieddle frames, will be automatically lowered, thereby relieving the user ot' any mental or manual eliort to perform this function.

Wvith this end in view this invention consists in a loom, having harness or heddle frames. actuating levers, one for each heddle trame. by which any frame may be raised and automatically operating means for temporarilyv retaining heddle frames in raised conditiomsaid means co-acting with all of the heddle trame levers to bring about the release of a raised heddle frame, or combination of heddle frames. whenever any other lieddle frame is being raised. whereby the raised lieddle frame. or frames. may automatically return to its. or their. normal or lowered position. The invent-ion further consists in the provision of a latch or dog co-acting with the heddle frame levers and arranged to automatically engage with any lever. which is being depressed to raise its heddle frame, and thereby hold the lever in depressed condition and having other means coacting with the levers arranged to automatically disconnect the latch or dog from any depressed lever whenever any other lever is depressed. The invent-ion further consists in the several novel features hereinafter fully set forth and claimed.

The invention is clearly illustrated in the accompanying drawings. in which;

Fig. l is a side elevation. partly broken out, ot' a loom embodying a simple form ot' the present invention. Fig. 1a is a perspec- 1922. Serial N0. 560,908.

tive view ot' a shuttle used in connection with the loom; Fig. 2 is a. vertical cross section taken on line 2-2 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a vertical section taken on line 3-3rot` Fig. 1 and showing the working parts in a different position. and Fig. 4 is a horizontal section taken on line 1 4 ot' Fig. 2.

Referring to said drawings. which illustrate one embodiment ot' the invention, the reference character 10 designates the frame work of the loom. which. for convenience, may be constructed of light gauge strips of metal suitably secured together to provide a frame work otl rigid and substantial con-4 struction. Brieiiv, the frame work comprises a rectangular base portion 117 from which rise upright trames 12. 13. 14. The upright frame 12 supports the warp beam 15. the frame 13 supports the harness, and the frame 1-t supports the cloth beam 16. The warp beam 1:3 and cloth beam 16 may be journaled on rods 17 which extend through the uprights of the frames 1Q. 14 respectively. and have wing nuts 18 upon their threaded ends which may be screwed up against said upriglits to clamp t-he warp beam and clot-h beam in place. Above the warp beam and cloth beam are breast beams, 1S). 20. which conveniently may be formed as a part of the frames 12. 13.

Between the cloth beam 16 and harness trame 13 is the reed or beater 21, which is pivotall'v connected to and extends up trom the base 11. The lieddle trames 22. 23. Q4, 25.l are guided to move vertically between channel shaped uprights 2G of the harness frame 13. and support` the heddles 27. Each heddle frame has horizontal trame bars 2S, 29. 30. connected by vertical trame bars 31 and the heddles Q7 are secured upon and extend between the horizontal frame bars 29. 30. ot the heddle Jframes. They are slidably mounted on said heddle trame bars '229. 3U. and between their ends are formed with eyes 32 through which the warp threads rz are threaded. lt will be understood that the warp threads a extend Jfrom the warp beam 15 over the breast beam 19 thence through the eyes 32 ot' the heddles, through the reed 21. over the breast beam 2() and to the cloth beam 16. to which their ends are fastened. B v raising any heddle frame a shed is formed. through which a.

shuttle B, or shuttles carrying the weft thread L, or threads are passed in Weaving the cloth or other woven article.

The mechanism for actuating the harness will now be described. Fulcrumed upon upper horizontal cross members 40 of the harness frame 13, are heddle levers 33. 34, 35, 36, which are connected at one end, to the heddle trames, 23, 24, 25, by links 3T, the arm 3S ot' each heddley leverbeing connected to its associated heddle frame by a link which conveniently may comprise a piece of wire hooked into holes formed in the lever and horizontal bar 28 of the heddle trame. A rod or shaft 39 secured in the horizontal cross pieces 40 of the harness trame, forms the support for the heddle levers. and washers 41 interposed between the levers space them apart: the upright harness trame members 26 are slotted, and the handles 43 of the heddle levers project out through said slots in position to be readily manipulated.

It is obvious. from the above description, that by depressing the handle ends of the levers, the heddle frames will be raised and that any one level'. or any combination of levers, may be depressed at one and the same time to raise a heddle frame or a combination of heddle frames.y

Supported upon the harness frame 13 is a latch or dog 42, which is arranged to engage any lever when t'ully depressed. thereby holding its handle end in depressed position with its arm 38 and heddle carried thereby in raised position and said latch is arranged to be disengaged from the depressed lever or levers whenever any other lever is subsequently depressed. In the forni of the invention illustrated. the latch 42 is pivotally mounted on a rod or pin 43. which is secured in the ears 44a of a bracket 44 that is secured to the harness frame members 26.

In the simple form of latch illustrated. it comprises parallel spaced. vertically extending latch bars 42a. l(one for each lever) secured to horizontal to) and bottom con` necting bars 42". 42C. n each latch bar is a shoulder 46. which is located in a position on the latch to be engaged with the arm ot its associated lever (when the latter is depressed) or with a projecting portion o r pin 47 that is secured to and projects laterally from each level'. A coiled spring 48 secured to the upper end 'of the latch 42 and to the harness frame 13, acts to yieldingly swing the latch into the path of travel taken by the pins 47. It is obvious from the above. that if any heddle lever is depressed until its pin 47 reaches the shoulder 46. the spring 48will swing the shoulder over the pin 47 and prevent the return of the depressed le- Ver until the shoulder is moved out ot en` gagement with the pin. It will be understood that when the latch is thereafter l swung "back far enough to disengage the shoulder from'the pin. the weight ot' the heddle frame and heddles` carried thereby will raise the handle end of the heddle lever to its former position.

In order that any depressed lever may be automatically disengaged from the 'shoulder ot' its associated latch bar, all ot the latch bars are provided with cam faces 49, there being a cam face located in advance of or above each shoulder 4G. and lying obliquely across the path ot' movement of the pin on the lever associated therewith. By reference to Fig. 3 ot' the drawings, it will be seen that when a lever 36 is being depressed. its pin 4T first engages the cam face 49 associated therewith, and rides along the same. there` by swinging the latch in the direction of the arrow .1. far enough to free any other pin 4T from an associated shoulder 46, in case any pin is engaged thereby. Between the lower end of the cam face 49 and shoulder 4G, is a. plane or neutral face 50 which, when the latch has reached the position seen in F ig. 3, is approximately concentric with the pivot of the lever whereby the lever (which is being depressed) may be moved along the neutral face 50 without swinging the latch any further` and at the same time permitting the released lever to return to its raised or normal position before the pin of the lever, which is being depressed, runs off the neutral face 5() and is encountered by the associated shoulder 46. At this instant the spring 48 swings the latch toward the pin and engages the associated shoulder 4G with the pin. thereby holding the lever in depressed position when released by the finger of the user. When any other lever is subsequently depressed or any combination of le` vers is depressed. the lever or levers, which are held in depressed position, will be re leased from the latch, and permitted to re` turn to normal position the weight of the heddle frames, connected to those levers. serving to return the levers to their raised position.

The shuttle B is of the hand type and has the weft thread wound thereon, and in the operation ot' weaving the shuttle isshit'ted back and forth through the shed. which is changed, each time the shuttle is passed therethrough, by manipulation the heddle levers in accordance with a predetermined sequence to produce the desired woven ett'ect. The hatten, or reed, is manipulated in the customary manner as is well known to those skilled in this art.

The loom above described is particularly adapted for use b v unskilled persons, both for amusement and for educational and practical purposes. It is a practical.loom.v of strong and substantial construction, yet light enough to be easily and readily handled and carried about. It may be placed on a table or other support, and in its present form may be knocked down and packed in compact form for shipment or storage.

More or less variation of the exact details of construction is possible Without departing from the spirit ot' this invention; l desire, therefore. not to limitmyseltto the exact- 1'orn1 of the construction shown and described. but intend. in the following claims. to point out all of the invent-ion disclosed herein.

l claim new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

l. ln a loom. harness actuating mechanism. comprising heddle levers, each connected at one end 'to a heddle frame, and a. latch having lever engaging shoulders, one t'or each lever. adapted to temporarily hold its associated lever in depressed position. there being cti-operating lever releasing means between the levers and latch. whereby an)v depressed lever is disengaged from the latch when any raised lever is being moved to its depressed position.

2. In a loom, harness actuating mechanism. comprising heddle levers, each connected at one end to a heddle traine7 and means for holding the levers in depressed position, said means and levers having lever releasing elements co-operating with each other to release depressed levers when any raised lever is being moved to its depressed position.

3. ln a loom, harness actuating mechanism, comprising heddle levers. each connected at one end to a heddle frame, means for holding one or more of the levers in depressed position. and automatic release mechanism operating when a raised lever is being moved to its depressed position, to release depressed levers.

l. In a loom, harness actuating mechanism, comprising heddle levers, each connected at. one end to a heddle frame, and a combined lever holding and releasing latch, cci-operating with all of said levers, whereby when any lever is being depressed, all other depressed levers are released.

5. ln a loom, harness actuating mechanism, comprising heddle levers. each connected at one end to heddle frame, a lever holding latch having means operating to hold any depressed lever in its depressed position, said latch having other means cooperating with all raised levers to release any depressed lever whenever any raised lever is being depressed.

6. In a loom. harness actuating mechanism, comprising heddle levers, each connected with a heddle trame, and a lever holding latch. having shoulders.y one for each lever, arranged to hold an associated lever in depressed position, said latch 'l'iaving also cam faces, one for cach lever, arranged to he vengaged by a lever while it is being depressed. whereby the shoulders of the latch are disengaged from any depressed levers and the latter are permitted to return to normal position.

7. ln a loom` harness actuating mechanism, comprising heddle levers, each connected with a heddle trame, and latch bars.l one for each lever. each latch bar having a shoulder and a cam face. said latch bars being connected to move in unison. a shoulder of each latch bar being arranged to engage an associated lever to hold the latter in depressed position. and the cam tace of each latch har being arranged to co-act with its associated lever to release depressed levers from the shoulders of the latch bars.

8. ln a loom7 harness actuating mechanism, comprising heddle levers, each connected with a heddle trame and a spring actuated, lever holding latch, (2o-operating with all of the levers, said latch having lever holding shoulders. and lever releasing cam faces associated with each lever. l

9. ln a loom, harness actuating mechanism, comprising heddle levers, each connecting with a heddle frame. and each having a laterally projecting lug7 and a spring actuated lever holding latch co-opeiating with all oie the levers. said latch having lever holding' shoulders co-acting with said lugs on the levers and having also cam faces coact-ing with said lugs to release depressed levers from said latch.

10. ln a loom, harness actuating mechanism, comprising heddle levers, each connected with a heddle frame, having a lat-erally projecting lug. rigidly connected latch bars, one for each lever, each latch bar having a shoulder arranged to engage the lug or" an associated lever. to thereby hold said lever in depressed position, and having also a cani face lying across the path ot movement of the lug of an associated lever.

LOUlS STRHACKER. 

